The Ultimate South Central Florida Road Trip Itinerary

3 weeks ago 13

Florida, the Sunshine State, is location to world-class taxable parks, beauteous quality parks, crystal wide earthy springs, tacky (in the champion way) roadside attractions, achromatic soil beaches, and alligators.

You don’t person to research the full authorities to spot the highlights, successful fact, galore of the apical attractions prevarication successful the South Central portion of Florida, and what amended mode to get astir them each than by roadworthy trip?

Whether you’re looking for top-notch museums, thrilling taxable parks, laid-back towns, oregon the wide waters of the ocean, this South Central Florida roadworthy travel itinerary volition tick disconnected each the champion attractions successful Florida.

Where is South Central Florida?

family walking done Highlands Hammock State Park, 1 of the champion things to bash successful Sebring, Florida

The boundaries of South Central Florida are not officially defined, but we see it to dwell of the pursuing regions:

Martin County connected the Treasure Coast portion connected the Atlantic Coast. It’s halfway betwixt Miami and Orlando and astir 45-minutes northbound of West Palm Beach.
The Space Coast, which features 72 miles of Atlantic water paradise and is lone an hr from Orlando. It consists of Cocoa Beach, Melbourne Beach, Palm Bay, Port Canaveral, Titusville, and Viera.
Sebring County successful Central Florida and includes the surrounding water communities (of which determination are galore lakes!). It’s betwixt Martin County and Englewood.
Manasota Key successful the Punta Gorda portion of the Florida Gulf Coast. It’s located conscionable southbound of Sarasota and northbound of Fort Meyers.

It could see Orlando, which officially sits successful Central Florida, but since it’s specified a convenient metropolis to alert into, we volition statesman our roadworthy travel itinerary from here.

You could besides commencement from Tampa, different well-connected city.

Map of South Central Florida

The pursuing representation outlines the portion of South Central Florida and the attractions listed successful this itinerary.

The Ultimate South Central Florida Road Trip

On this roadworthy trip, you’ll observe enchanting past hammocks wherever Florida panthers inactive roam, thrilling aerial vessel rides done spectacular scenery (and alongside alligators), obstruction islands you consciousness are yours unsocial to enjoy, the serenity of tucked distant rivers, and plentifulness of caller and delicious workplace to array eating (land and water).

If that’s not a crushed to sojourn Florida, I don’t cognize what is.

The quality of this roadworthy travel is that each destinations I’ve mentioned are less than an casual two-hour thrust from each other.

So adjacent though you are driving from spot to place, you’ll walk little clip successful the car and much clip outdoors.

We urge you set speech 3 weeks for this roadworthy trip, it’s worthy taking your clip to research it! However, you tin ever chopped immoderate destinations retired that you don’t deliberation are to your taste.

For astir nonstop formation options (and perchance cheaper), we urge flying into Orlando, and starting your itinerary from there.

It’s casual to bash a loop thrust backmost to Orlando, and you’ll prevention connected one-way rental car fees.

Check your rental car options here.

Stop 1: Orlando (3-5 days)

The magnitude of clip you walk successful Orlando volition mostly beryllium connected however overmuch you privation to see, and whether oregon not you program to sojourn the taxable parks.

Like Las Vegas, Orlando resembles immoderate benignant of phantasy world, wherever your dreams tin go a world – nary really, you tin adjacent sojourn Hogwarts.

It’s astir celebrated for being location to Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, and much Disney taxable parks similar Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom.

If you privation to get disconnected the taxable parkland route, and you should, Orlando has a existent metropolis to uncover. It’s a sprawling metropolis with tree-lined streets, shady parts, creation museums, and buzzing nightlife.

Head to downtown Orlando for a time of depository and assemblage hopping, particularly to the Orlando Museum of Art and Mennello Museum of Art.

If you person kids, sojourn Lake Eola Park and walk a mates hours relaxing connected the lawns. In the evening, drawback a amusement astatine the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

If you’re not visiting taxable parks, I urge spending 3 days successful Orlando. Here are much ideas for things to bash successful Orlando and present are some fantastic abrogation rentals successful Orlando (we loved the villa we stayed in!)

Stop 2: Kennedy Space Center (1 day)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 52.2 miles
Time to get there: 1 hour

I urge you thrust successful a clockwise loop astir this roadworthy trip, arsenic this mode you tin bask taxable parks connected the mode back, alternatively than bash them archetypal and get burned retired and not privation to bask the remainder of South Central Florida.

So, we’ll commencement connected the Space Coast, with our archetypal halt being the celebrated Kennedy Space Center, location to the erstwhile NASA abstraction shuttle program.

Spend a time exploring the Visitor Center and Museum, wherever you tin larn astir NASA’s history, spot historical spacecrafts, larn astir abstraction exploration, and more.

Don’t miss the Rocket Garden to spot replicas of classical rockets and person a spell connected the Shuttle Launch Simulator, which reaches a apical velocity of 17,500 mph. You tin bash a autobus circuit of the full facility, which departs each 15 minutes betwixt 10:00am – 2.45pm.

If you’re fortunate to beryllium successful Florida astatine the close time, halt by Cape Canaveral, the celebrated spot to ticker a shuttle launch.

They bash inactive person launches from Cape Canaveral, truthful cheque the launch schedule for a erstwhile successful a beingness acquisition to spot a rocket motorboat into space.

Stop 3: Melbourne Shores (2 days)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 45.4 miles
Time to get there: 1 hr 12 minutes

After a time learning astir abstraction exploration, thrust down to the Melbourne Shores for immoderate relaxing clip by the beach.

With the Indian River Lagoon connected 1 broadside and the Atlantic connected the other, it’s a large spot on Florida’s Space Coast for h2o sports and outdoor activities.

Some fashionable things to bash present are catching a sunrise from Melbourne Beach Pier, basking connected the formation by Coconut Point Park, and hiking successful Maritime Hammock Sanctuary.

Spend a time astatine Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the archetypal wildlife refuge successful America known for its colonisation of migratory birds.

Stop 4: Saint Sebastian River Preserve State Park (1 day)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 27.7 miles
Time to get there: 40 minutes

Saint Sebastian River Preserve is simply a beauteous authorities parkland known for its conifer flatwood and cypress trees, swamplands, and much than 70 taxon of endangered plants.

It has implicit 60 miles of quality trails which tin beryllium explored connected ft oregon horse, and you tin besides spell boating oregon canoeing connected the Sebastian River.

The parkland is known for its wildlife, including bobcats, pelicans, and the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. It’s besides location to manatees, which tin beryllium seen from the Manatee Overlook.

Stop 5: Martin County connected the Treasure Coast (3 days)

street with thenar trees connected the sides

Distance from erstwhile stop: 63.3 miles
Time to get there: 1 hour

Martin County connected the Treasure Coast rapidly became 1 of our favourite places successful Florida for its buzzing, blessed ambiance with plentifulness of outdoor attractions.

You’ll find sophistication and Old Florida charm arsenic good arsenic the all-embracing footwear disconnected your flip flops and gaffe connected your Key West persona.

Nature is the halfway of attraction successful Martin County, with the St Lucie River and Intra-coastal Waterway and the 22 miles of undiscovered and untouched beaches connected the Florida Atlantic Coast.

walking connected boardwalk beside stream astatine Stuart, Martin County, Florida

You tin equilibrium your quality activities with section creation festivals, unrecorded music, and beauteous murals.

You’ll find unthinkable eating experiences from delicious meal smoothie bowls and outstanding java to section spread successful the partition taco places and classier seafood restaurants with h2o views.

Night Paddle Board, Port Salerno

For a unsocial household adventure, that packs plentifulness of WOW articulation a paddle boarding circuit with Zekes Surf and Paddleboarding successful the beauteous Port Salerno country of Martin County.

What makes this paddle-board acquisition different, is you’ll beryllium paddling under the screen of darkness!

Our circuit started with a speedy instruction, earlier heading retired arsenic a radical crossed the transmission to adjacent Disappearing Island successful the mediate of St Lucie River Inlet.

The aftermath was pumping, and we had to sprint paddle, timing our tally successful betwixt boats, and catching their aftermath down us. Once we arrived, we turned our boards to ticker the prima acceptable implicit the inlet.

people lasting adjacent to a thenar histrion connected the beach

We parked ourselves connected this abbreviated portion of achromatic soil scattered with a fewer reddish mangroves for astir an hr searching for hermit crabs and jellyfish and enjoyed the abundance of vertebrate beingness soaring crossed the pinkish skies.

Then we sat down to ticker the immense circular orangish orb of the afloat satellite rise creating a staircase beneath it. It was by acold 1 of the champion satellite rises I’ve ever seen.

paddleboards connected land formation astatine sunset

The last portion to the escapade was paddling backmost crossed arsenic a radical successful acheronian (with information lights).

This clip determination weren’t galore boats to navigate around. It was spooky and thrilling astatine the aforesaid time.

Sunset Sail connected the Schooner Lily, Stuart

For a gentler adventure, battalion your snacks and drinks and instrumentality a spot onboard the Schooner Lily successful Stuart Florida.

You’ll sail connected the St Lucie River for astir 2-hours nether the guidance of Captain Fred, proprietor of Treasure Coast Sailing Adventures.

There’s not overmuch for you to bash but ticker arsenic they hoist the sales, larn much astir the biodiversity of the estuary (the astir divers successful the Northern Hemisphere), soak up the scenery and sailboat silence, look for wildlife, and marvel astatine the agleam orangish sunset sky.

Full satellite during a Sunset Sail connected Schooner Lily, Stuart, Florida

Even better, clip it with a afloat moon, truthful you tin spot that rising connected your mode backmost to port!

We stayed connected a houseboat connected our sojourn to Martin County. It’s nary longer available, but you tin find unique abrogation properties that whitethorn suit your benignant connected VRBO.

Video: Adventures successful Martin County, Florida

Stop 6: Lake Okeechobee (1 day)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 34.5 miles
Time to get there: 45 minutes

Spend a time astatine Lake Okeechobee, the largest freshwater water successful Florida and second-largest freshwater water successful the USA – it covers 730 quadrate miles and tin beryllium seen from space.

Go for a hike astir the 110-mile Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, which circles the lake, oregon rhythm the Florida National Scenic Trail.

You tin campy overnight, oregon motorboat a vessel and research the Okeechobee waterways.

Be connected the lookout for alligators, bobcats, manatees, and chaotic turkeys.

Stop 7: Sebring County (2 days)

person lasting connected borderline of Lake Jackson, Sebring

Distance from erstwhile stop: 47.4 miles
Time to get there: 54 minutes

Sebring is a portion of Old Florida where ranchers and citrus growers conscionable with workplace to array restaurants, and locals play (alongside, but acold away) with alligators, turtles and birds successful past forests, plentiful lakes, and cypress swamps.

With its dilatory pace, entree to earthy quality and outdoor adventure, Sebring successful Central Florida is simply a large summation to this divers Florida roadworthy trip.

Sebring is known arsenic the City connected the Circle for its downtown stores that are located connected the borderline of the roundabout successful the mediate of town.

It is surrounded by different Old-Style Florida towns conscionable a 20-minute thrust successful either absorption similar the charming Avon Park and the “Interesting” Lake Placid.

Arbuckle Creek Airboat ride, Sebring

Strap yourself successful for the roller coaster mentation of this air-boat thrust on the backstage lands of Arbuckle Creek and Lake Istokpoga with Captain John from Airboat Wild Adventures.

He is not incorrect astir the WILD portion – successful some quality and brainsick air-boat antics.

Who knew air-boats could spell connected land?

We truly don’t privation to spoil the astonishment for you, due to the fact that that “Is helium truly going to bash that? “was a implicit WOW infinitesimal we don’t privation to rob you of.

Just beryllium definite to take the Spring Break Roller Coaster version.

couple enjoying Airboat circuit connected apical of lillies successful Sebring, Florida

You’ll glide implicit acres of lily pads, hydrilla and gangly writer and past cypress and unrecorded oaks dripping with Spanish Moss.

It’s stunning, pristine, and abundant with alligators and vertebrate life. At 1 signifier I looked up to a entity filled with circling buzzards, flocks of ibis, pinkish roseate spoonbills, and scores of tiny dragon flies. Then determination on the journey, an eagle soared past.

It’s the champion air-boat thrust we person done successful Florida truthful far.

Cycle the Highlands Hammock State Park Bike Loop

family hiking connected boardwalk astatine Highlands Hammock State Park, Sebring

Head heavy into a dry, shady onshore afloat of towering cypress and oak trees, marauding achromatic bears and Florida panthers, and steely gazing alligators.

Highlands Hammock State Park is Florida’s archetypal authorities parkland and is the cleanable past lush flight from the crowds.

Its tiny size makes it an casual authorities parkland to explore. The champion mode is connected a bike, cycling the 3.1-mile loop road.

Stop on the mode astatine immoderate of the 8 abbreviated trails that showcase what makes Florida’s archetypal authorities parkland a standout attraction.

Don’t miss the Cypress Swamp Trail.

people walking connected a committee walk

A fractional mile loop boardwalk goes supra the swampy crushed – successful the bedewed season, filled with h2o and possibly a fewer alligators – and adjacent to the elephantine cypress offering that hammock shadiness and grandeur ambiance.

This is an casual escapade that combines past quality with wildlife and effortless exercise.

Stay successful Downtown Historic Sebring

We loved the structure with flimsy sunset views and the cute greeting java sunroom of our vacation rental successful Sebring, conscionable a ten-minute locomotion to the downtown Circle.

It’s spacious, comfortable, and beautifully decorated with 3 bedrooms, each the amenities you want, and stocked with filtered water, a java bar, orangish juice, fruit, and muffin snacks.

woman sitting successful a surviving room

Video: Watch our adventures successful Sebring

Check retired the household amusive we had successful Sebring.

Stop 8: Punta Gorda (half a day)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 71.1 miles
Time to get there: 1 hr 25 minutes

On the mode to Manasota Key, halt successful astatine Punta Gorda for a riverside locomotion and the astir authentic Thai nutrient we’ve eaten successful the USA astatine Peace River Beer Company.

One sensation of my Panang Curry and I was backmost connected the sidewalk cafes adjacent my Bangkok apartment.

Stop 9: Manasota Key and Englewood (2 days)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 26.2 miles
Time to get there: 45 minutes

Time to dilatory down the gait connected the idyllic land haven of Manasota Key connected the Florida Gulf Coast.

It’s successful the Punta Gorda region, astir halfway betwixt Tampa and Fort Myers and conscionable southbound of its busier neighbors, Sarasota, and Venice.

This 11-mile obstruction island is slow-paced, pristine, and chartless – the benignant of Florida land abrogation of your dreams. There is nary shortage of idiosyncratic abstraction and caller salty air.

Beach locomotion successful Manasota Key, Florida

On 1 broadside are the calm aquamarine waters of Lemon Bay, and the different are the Gulf Beaches of Manasota, Englewood, Blinds Pass and Stump Pass – with plentifulness of abstraction successful betwixt for your ain backstage stretch.

Englewood Beach is the astir fashionable beach, wherever you tin find formation rentals, volleyball courts and parasailing fun. It’s besides adjacent a fewer restaurants and bars.

woman taking photograph of Englewood Beach, Florida

Blinds Pass Beach is known arsenic Middle Beach and is popular for shark bony hunting, kayaking, oregon exploring the trails going successful and retired of the mangrove forest.

Manasota Beach is meant to beryllium the slightest crowded formation successful Sarasota County.

And past determination is unmissable, much distant Stump Pass. You tin lone get determination by vessel oregon feet. Crowds astatine a minimum.

Play astatine Stump Pass Beach State Park, Manasota Key

Stump Pass Beach State Park is 1 of the 4 obstruction islands that comprise the Barrier Islands Geopark successful this area. The different 3 are Cayo Costa, Don Pedro, Gasparilla.

It consists of 245 acres of the Southern extremity of Manasota Key and has entree to pristine beaches connected Lemon Bay and the Gulf Coast.

A 1.3-mile sandy quality trail takes you done the low-lying wood with pockets successful the trees giving you glimpses of the chaotic Gulf Coast connected 1 broadside and the calmer luminescent aqua waters connected the other.

The way ends astatine Stump Pass, the extremity of the land wherever the Gulf meets the bay. You volition beryllium wowed by the view.

people sitting connected the formation astatine stumps pass

As soon arsenic we got to wherever the achromatic soil met that beauteous water, 2 dolphins roseate retired of the water, close adjacent the borderline of the shore.

While we could not acquisition this enactment owed to the weather, we person nary uncertainty that a kayak oregon paddle on the waters of Lemon Bay to the Stump Pass would beryllium a item of immoderate Florida roadworthy trip.

Read more: Stump Pass Beach State Park

Watch a Gulf Coast Sunset

A idiosyncratic sitting astatine a beach

A Florida Gulf Coast sunset is ever a wow acquisition and the MAIN lawsuit connected the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Plan your evenings astir it, whether it’s enjoying it from a edifice oregon bar, oregon conscionable from sitting connected the beforehand enactment soil seats.

In keeping with Manasota Key pace, the sunset is different reminder to halt and odor the salty oversea breeze and admit the grandeur of an orangish entity and dilatory conversations with loved ones.

Click present to larn much amusive things to bash successful Manasota Key, Fl.

Stay astatine a Manasota Key Rental

You cannot spell incorrect with immoderate beach rental connected Manasota Key.

Just a fewer strides volition instrumentality you to the formation – perchance your ain backstage agelong of it.

The person you enactment to Englewood Beach, the easier it volition beryllium to locomotion to restaurants and blessed hr drinks!

There’s not a batch of edifice choices successful Manasota Key, oregon restaurants for that matter, truthful a abrogation rental is the champion prime for accommodation arsenic you tin navigator your ain meals.

Stop 10: Clearwater Beach (2 days)

woman and children connected Clearwater beach

Distance from erstwhile stop: 94.3 miles
Time to get there: 2 hours

We similar Clearwater Beach to adjacent Tampa, due to the fact that adjacent though it’s a metropolis beach, it has wonderful, crystal wide h2o (now I tin spot wherever it gets its sanction from).

Clearwater Beach is not excessively acold from Tampa, which has immoderate chill museums, taxable parks and h2o parks, specified arsenic Busch Gardens.

It’s rather walkable, with galore restaurants and section shops being a abbreviated region from the beach.

Be definite to research the formation country astatine sunset, arsenic assorted thoroughfare performers travel retired to play adjacent the pier.

Stop 11: Lake Wales (1 day)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 85.9 miles
Time to get there: 1 hr 45 minutes

On the mode to Lake Wales, halt successful to respect the architecture of Florida Southern College successful Lakeland, which was designed by world-renown architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

The main crushed to travel to Lake Wales is for Bok Tower Gardens, which blooms each twelvemonth round.

It’s fantastic to perceive the bells ringing astatine Bok Tower Gardens. The doorbell operation has 23 bells that person been specially tuned. Four times a week, a unsocial tune composed by Belgian-American composer Geert D’hollander is played.

The bells play each Friday astatine 3.00pm, Saturday astatine 1.00pm and 3.00pm, and Sunday astatine 1.00pm.

Stop 12: Westgate River Ranch Resort (3 days)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 28.4 miles
Time to get there: 30 minutes

This is the largest dude ranch successful Southeast USA.

The Westgate River Ranch Resort is an authentic dude ranch which offers a operation of glamping with cowboy experiences.

You tin unbend connected this chaotic and unfastened range, embark connected a horseback riding tour, larn astir ranching astatine the Cowboy Adventure Park & Florida Fair, oregon ticker competitory bull riders astatine the award-winning Saturday nighttime rodeo.

It’s not conscionable a spot to stay, but an experience!

Check retired this dude ranch acquisition astatine Cowboy Adventure Park successful Westgate River Ranch and Resort!

Stop 13: Legoland, Winter Haven (1 day)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 45 miles
Time to get there: 1 hour

Located successful Winter Haven, Legoland Florida Resort is the largest Legoland taxable parkland successful the world.

The 150-acre parkland has much than 50 rides, shows, and attractions. Plus restaurants, shops and a beauteous botanical plot (unfortunately this was closed during our sojourn owed to harm from hurricane Irma).

The Legoland taxable parkland is geared towards children ages 2 to 12.

Stop 14: Safari Wilderness (1 day)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 24.4 miles
Time to get there: 35 minutes

If you’re a quality lover, past however astir a safari? We spent 5 months backpacking done East Africa in 2003 pre-kids, and went connected galore crippled drives, truthful erstwhile it comes to wildlife viewing, we are hard to please…

Some places propulsion the word “safari” astir precise loosely and we ever person our reservations astir what it’s going to beryllium like.

However, Safari Wilderness successful Lakeland was named 1 of the “10 Best Safaris successful the U.S.” by Fodors.com, and we were pleasantly surprised.

This 260-acre sphere is surrounded by Florida’s Green Swamp, an 870 quadrate mile pristine watershed that is root to 5 of Florida’s finest rivers.

We went connected a two-hour customized vehicle safari that provided up-close encounters with wildlife specified arsenic ostrich, giraffes, zebra, kudu, water buffalo and different unsocial and endangered taxon successful ample herds!

And we got truthful up-close that we got to manus provender respective of the animals.

girl feeding goat successful safari park

Not lone did we get the enactment with the animals, but our safari usher provided adept commentary and cognition which was some absorbing and acquisition for our kids!

Feeding the Lemurs astatine Wilderness Safari successful Central Florida

We entered the ring-tailed lemur habitat at Safari Wilderness with a usher and manus provender grapes to a radical of Lemurs. And it was beyond awesome!

Some of them mildly touched our hands to get the grapes and they were playful yet polite.

This enactment is constricted to a fewer participants per time truthful program to publication ahead. If you emotion lemurs, you’ll emotion this lemur acquisition we had successful Monticello Florida and the Lemur halfway successful Durham.

Stop 15: Disney Springs (1 day)

Distance from erstwhile stop: 35.5 miles
Time to get there: 1 hour

I cognize what you’re thinking, Disney Springs indispensable person Disney taxable parks, right? Wrong, Disney Springs is simply a buying promenade conscionable extracurricular Orlando and has much than 150 retailers and restaurants.

It’s a large spot to walk a time and get your buying hole earlier heading home.

Stock up connected souvenirs, oregon conscionable bask the ambiance, earlier heading backmost to Orlando to caput home.

Final Thoughts

family walking connected boardwalk beside stream successful Stuart, Martin County

After Disney Springs, instrumentality to Orlando and instrumentality backmost your rental car.

We anticipation this itinerary helped you program a travel to South Central Florida and gave you immoderate attractions to adhd to your roadworthy trip.

This itinerary is for 3 weeks, and we cognize that not everyone is blessed with time, truthful consciousness escaped to chopped retired places that don’t acceptable your style.

We donate a percent of our run interest to those section businesses and organizations that enactment community, the environment, and humanitarian causes.

On this South Central Florida roadworthy trip, we supported The Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida for their Florida conservation efforts and the Hobe Sound Mural task for their enactment supporting section artists and bringing assemblage together.

Are you acceptable for your travel to South Central Florida? Let america cognize successful the comments.

Read Entire Article